Secondary education has also been expanded dramatically. Up to the early 1980s, the
emphasis had been universal literacy hence the vigorous expansion of primary education
which, in Tanzania, lasts seven years. By 1980, only 4% of primary school leavers
went on to secondary school which were overwhelmingly state run and free. There were
a few private secondary school where parents had to pay. From the early 1980s, secondary
education was expanded and the launch of the Secondary Education Development Plan
in 2003 has seen a dramatic increase in enrolment with secondary schools being opened
in every part of the country to cater for local primary school leavers. The expansion
was long overdue as by 2001, the private sector had already overtaken the state with
enrolment of 55% of secondary school pupils. Figures also show that the slice of
the government budget spent on education had steadily fallen over the years. By 1994,
it was 11% as compared to 17% in 1970. This was largely a result of International
Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank imposed cuts in government spending and conditions
such as introduction of school fees in primary and secondary schools. The disastrous
policies were dropped by the government in 2001.

The opening of secondary schools in the children’s own localities especially in
rural Tanzania has improved access dramatically. However, the challenge of staffing
and equipping these schools remains immense